Album Review: Tame Impala "Currents"

2 1/2 out of 5

I feel that had I heard this album before I had heard about this album my opinion of it would be higher. On its surface and at its core this record is pure, sparkling, shiny, grit free Pop music that's drenched in artificial sunshine. That's what it is from beginning to end, and nothing more.
My introduction to this release (the third from Kevin Parker under his Tame Impala alias) was it's inclusion on almost every "Best Of '15" list I came across. It's not a bad album by any means, but if you've ever heard anything from Hall & Oates or The Flaming Lips then you've already experienced everything this album has to offer, albeit without the kitsch of the former or the sonic freak-outs of the latter.
From a recording standpoint I can see "Currents" being a much more outstanding release simply because it was made entirely by one guy. The fact that he was able to create such a big sound alone is worth praise, not to mention his ability to singlehandedly polish every last piece of it to the point that the next Taylor Swift album will sound like a cheap Thrash Metal recording in comparison.
Personally I felt unengaged with almost all of the album. It's very sweeping and synth heavy and spacey, but the vocals are processed to such a degree that they sound like they're bubbling up through water. Because of that fact the lyrics are somewhat inaudible leaving me with the distinct impression that they aren't all that important, especially in light of the few lines that do poke out of the production, like the mind-numbing "I'm a man, woman: don't always think before I do" from the track "'Cause I'm A Man". These are lyrical themes that scores of douchebags have already mined to greater success (see: Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me) so do we really need another "girl, you know I can't help banging all these skanks" jam?
The few moments where this album pulls its own metaphorical head out of its own metaphorical butt are on the two songs with actual hooks, "The Less I Know The Better" and "Disciples": songs that aren't afraid to shed the pysch-pop bullshit meant to set them artistically above contemporaries in favor of the full on masturbatory revelry pop music allows you. Both cuts are fun, if ultimately fluff, and show just how excellent of a producer Parker truly is. I'd be surprised if he doesn't end up producing some of the biggest radio hits of the next decade.
My wife summed it up by saying that it would be a good album for a summertime barbecue and I have to agree: it's perfect as relaxing background noise for a day of sunshine with friends, but not much else.